Mode of operation selection for the first table of a bale wagon

ABSTRACT

A bale wagon having a mobile chassis, a load bed mounted on the chassis for accumulating tiers of bales into a stack and being movable for unloading the stack from the wagon and a second table mounted on the chassis for accumulating bales into a tier and being movable for delivering the tier to the load bed, includes a first table mounted on the chassis for receiving a bale (or bales) on one of its longitudinal flat sides and being operable in either one of two modes for delivering the bale on its flat side, or its edge side adjacent its flat side, to the second table and means for selecting one of the two modes of operation for the first table, in response to movement by the load bed, for delivering the next bale on its edge side to the second table or the other of the two modes of operation for the first table, in response to movement by the second table, for delivering the next bale on its flat side to the second table.

United States Patent [1 Butler et al.

[4 1 Aug. 26, 1975 MODE OF OPERATION SELECTION FOR THE FIRST TABLE OF A BALE WAGON [73] Assignee: Sperry Rand Corporation, New

Holland, Pa.

22 Filed: Aug. 19, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 498,833

Primary Examiner-Robert J. Spar Assistant Examiner-Leslie J. Paperner Attorney, Agent, or Firm-John R. Flanagan; Frank A. Seemar; Joseph'A. Brown [57] ABSTRACT A bale wagon having a mobile chassis, a load bed mounted on the chassis for accumulating tiers of bales into a stack and being movable for unloading the stack from the wagon and a second table mounted on the vchassis for accumulating bales into a tier and being movable for delivering the tier to the load bed, includes a first table mounted on the chassis for receiving a bale (or bales) on one of its longitudinal flat sides and being operable in either one of two modes for delivering the bale on its flat side, or its edge side adjacent its flat side, to the second table and means for selecting one of the two modes of operation for the first table, in response to movement by the load bed, for delivering the next bale on its edge side to the second table or the other of the two modes of operation for the first table, in response to movement by the second table, for delivering the next bale on its flat side to the second-table.

12 Claims, 54 Drawing Figures PATENTEU mczsms SHEET ,393 PATENTEnAusesms 3 901 SHEET 7 18 FIG. I2

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PATENTEUAUBZSIQYS SHEET MODE OF OPERATION SELECTION FOR THE FIRST TABLE OF A BALE WAGON CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS Reference is hereby made to the following copending U.S. applications dealing with related subject matter and assigned to the assignee of the present invention:

1. Improved First Table for a Bale Wagon by Edward J. Wynn et al., U.S. Ser. No. 498,782, filed Aug. 19, 1974.

2. Load Position Sensing and Tier Pattern Selection for a Bale Wagon? by Lee D. Butler et al., U.S. Ser. No. 498,834, filed Aug. 19, 1974.

3. Tier Pattern Selection and Formation for a Bale Wagon by James A Olsen et al., U.S. Ser. No. 498,839, filed Aug. 19, 1974.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to the art of forming a stack of crop material bales and, more particularly, is concerned with a bale wagon incorporating improved features for facilitating the formation of a block-type, tied or interlocked stack of bales thereon.

2. Description of the Prior Art It is accepted present day practice to form bales of crop material such as hay or the like into stacks through the employment of an automatic bale wagon.

One type of bale wagon which has achieved widespread commercial acceptance is the automatic bale wagon which employs the three table concept, as originally illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,848,172 which issued to Gorden E. Grey.

The Grey bale wagon includes a first table which successively receives bales from a bale loader or pickup on the wagon and accumulates a predetermined number of them, for example two, being arranged end-to-end in a row, a second table which successively receives the accumulated rows of bales from the first table and accumulates a plurality thereof, such as four, five or six rows, which plurality of rows is commonly called a tier of bales, and a third table or load bed which successively receives the tiers from the second table and accumulates a plurality of the tiers, for example seven, to form a stack thereon. Once the stack has been accumulated on the load bed, it may be unloaded by pivoting the load bed 90 and depositing the stack on the ground or the like with the first tier of bales which was previously accumulated on the second table now being the lowermost tier of the stack in contact with the ground surface.

Since the stack formed by the bale wagon and deposited on the ground at a storage location may remain there for an extended period of time, it is desirable that the bales forming the lowermost tier be oriented such that a non-twine or-wire bearing side of each bale, commonly referred to as an edge side of a bale, is in contact with the ground in order to avoid wire rusting or twine rotting which eventually would result in broken bales in the lowermost tierand probable toppling of the stack.

To provide the aforementioned desired orientation of the bales of the lowermost tier of the stack, the operations which have heretofore been performed in picking up and forming bales into each of the tiers of the stack by the bale wagon are as follows. First, bales deposited on one of their edge sides in a field by a baler are picked up by the bale wagon loader and moved through a lateral path to the first table where they are supported on one of their twine or wire bearing sides, commonly referred to as a flat side of the bale. Then, the first table is pivotally moved so as to lift and revolve the bales approximately 90 and deposit them on the second table of the wagon in the same desired edge side orientation as they will appear when subsequently transferred in stack form by the load bed of the wagon to the ground.

In order to enhance the stability of the stack, it is generally desirable to provide one or more tie tiers within the stack, suc'h being tiers having individual bales arranged to overlap two bales in adjacent tiers above and below the tie tier. Formation of one or more tie tiers can be accomplished during formation of the stack on the bale wagon, for example, through utilization of a mechanism which is similar to that illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,395,814 and has been incorporated into several present day commercial models of the Grey bale wagon.

Overall, the stacks of bales formed by these current models of the Grey bale wagon, wherein all of the bales are oriented on their edge sides, have satisfactory stability.

However, with respect to stacks which must conform to certain legal width restrictions in order for transport on public highways by trucks and are formed of bales having certain size dimensions, it has been found more desirable to orient the bales of all of the tiers of the stacks, including the tire tiers, but excluding the lowermost tier, on their flat sides. For example, in the case of bales having the approximate size dimensions of 16 inches (edge side Width) X 23 inches (flat side width) X 46 inches (length), being most prevalent in the southwestern region of the U.S., bales oriented on their flat (23 inches wide) sides each cover a surface area having a length approximately twice that of its width and thus may be formed by some current Grey bale wagon models into compact, square tie tier patterns utilizing a tie mechanism similar to that disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,395,814 as well as a compact and square standard tier pattern, if such current models were adapted to pick up bales lying on their flat sides in the field. Standard and tie tiers having such a compact and square configuration would form a block-type stack which conforms to the legal width and tier pattern restrictions for public highway transportion.

Although current models of the Grey bale wagon utilizing the aforementioned tie mechanism could readily be adapted, by widening their bale loader, to pick up bales placed on their flat sides on the field by a baler, as opposed to the prevailing, more desirable, practice of depositing bales on their edge sides in the field, and build a stack in which all bales of the standard and tie tier patterns would be oriented on their flat sides after the stack is unloaded upright from the bale wagon, the advantage described hereinbefore associated with orienting the bales of the lowermost tier on their edge sides would not be retained since the first table and its standard mode of operation as heretofore provided on all models of the Grey bale wagon up to the present most current ones do not have the capability of selectively depositing bales onto the second table in either one of an edge side or flat side orientation. 

1. In a bale wagon having a mobile chassis, means mounted on said chassis for accumulating tiers of bales into a stack and being movable for unloading said stack from said wagon and means mounted on said chassis for accumulating bales into a tier and being movable for delivering said tier to said tier-accumulating means, the improvement which comprises: means mounted on said chassis for receiving at least one bale on a first of its sides and being operable in either one of two modes for delivering said bale on said first of its sides, or a second of its sides adjacent to said first side, to said baleaccumulating means; and means for selecting one of said two modes of operation for said bale-receiving means, in response to movement by said tieraccumulating means, for delivery of a next bale on one of said first and second sides thereof to said bale-accumulating means, said means further for selecting the other of said two modes of operation for said bale-receiving means, in response to movement by said bale-accumulating means, for delivery of a next bale on the other of said first and second sides thereof to said bale-acccumulating means.
 2. A bale wagon as recited in claim 1, wherein: said bale-receiving means, when selected to operate in said one mode by said mode-selecting means due to response thereof to movement of said tier-accumulating means, will deliver said next bale on said second side thereof to said bale-accumulating means; and said bale-receiving means, when selected to operate in said other mode by said mode-selecting means due to response thereof to movement of said bale-accumulating means, will deliver said next bale on said first side thereof to said bale-accumulating means.
 3. In a bale wagon having a mobile chassis, means mounted on said chassis for accumulating tiers of bales into a stack and being movable for unloading said stack from said wagon and means mounted on said chassis for accumulating bales into a tier and being movable for delivering said tier to said tier-accumulating means, the improveMent which comprises: means mounted on said chassis for receiving at least one bale on a first of its sides and being operable in either one of two modes for deliverying said bale on said first of its sides, or a second of its sides adjacent to said first side, to said bale-accumulating means; means for selecting either one of said two modes of operation for said bale-receiving means; first means responsive to movement of said tier-accumulating means for causing said mode-selecting means to select one of said two modes of operation for said bale-receiving means for delivery of a next bale on one of said first and second sides thereof to said bale-accumulating means; and second means responsive to movement of said bale-accumulating means for causing said mode-selecting means to select the other of said two modes of operation for said bale-receiving means for delivery of a next bale on the other of said first and second sides thereof to said bale-accumulating means.
 4. A bale wagon as recited in claim 3, wherein; said bale-receiving means, when selected to operate in said one mode by said mode-selecting means as caused by response of said first means to movement of said their-accumulating means, will deliver said next bale on said second side thereof to said bale-accumulating means; and said bale-receiving means, when selected to operate in said other mode by said mode-selecting means as caused by response of said second means to movement of said bale-accumulating means, will deliver said next bale on said first side thereof to said bale-accumulating means.
 5. A bale wagon as recited in claim 3, wherein: said mode-selecting means is movable between two positions which respectively select said two modes of operation for said bale-receiving means; said first means responds to movement of said tier-accumulating means and causes movement of said mode-selecting means to one of its two positions and thereby selection of said one mode of operation for said bale-receiving means; and said second means responds to movement of said bale-accumulating means and causes movement of said mode-selecting means to the other of its two positions and thereby selection of said other mode of operation for said bale-receiving means.
 6. A bale wagon as recited in claim 5, wherein: said first means is movable between two positions in response to movement of said tier-accumulating means, with the movement of said first means from one to the other of its two positions causing said movement of said mode-selecting means to said one of its two positions; and said second means is movable between two positions in response to movement of said bale-accumulating means, with the movement of said second means from one to the other of its two positions causing said movement of said mode-selecting means to said other of its two positions.
 7. In a bale wagon having a mobile chassis, means mounted on said chassis in a first position for accumulating tiers of bales into a stack and being movable to a second position for unloading said stack from said wagon and means mounted on said chassis in a first position for accumulating bales into a tier and being movable to a second position for delivering said tier to said tier-accumulating means, the improvement which comprises: means mounted on said chassis for receiving at least one bale on a first of its sides and being operable in either one of two modes for delivering said bale on said first of its sides, or a second of its sides adjacent to said first side, to said bale-accumulating means; meand for selecting either one of said two modes of operation for said bale-receiving means; first means engaged and held at a first position by said tier-accumulating means when said tier-accumulating means is in its first position and being movable to a second position upon movement of said tier-accumulating means toward its second position, with the movement of said first means from its first position toward Its second positions causing said mode-selecting means to select one of said two modes of operation for said bale-receiving means for delivery of a next bale on one of said first and second sides thereof to said bale-accumulating means; and second means engaged and held at a first position by said bale-accumulating means when said bale-accumulating means is in its first position and being movable to a second position upon movement of said bale-accumulating means toward its second position, with the movement of said second means from its first position toward its second position causing said mode-selecting means to select the other of said two modes of operation for said bale-receiving means for delivery of a next bale on the other of said first and second sides thereof to said bale-accumulating means.
 8. A bale wagon as recited in claim 7, wherein: said bale-receiving means, when selected to operate in said one mode by said mode-selecting means as caused by said movement of said first means, will deliver said next bale on said second side thereof to said bale-accumulating means; and said bale-receiving means, when selected to operate in said other mode by said mode-selecting means as cased by said movement of said second means, will deliver said next bale of said first side thereof to said bale-accumulating means.
 9. A bale wagon as recited in claim 7, wherein: said mode-selecting means is movable between two positions which respectively select said two modes of operation for said bale-receiving means; said movement of said first means causes movement of said mode-selecting means to one of its two positions and thereby selection of said one mode of operation for said bale-receiving means; and said movement of said second means causes movement of said mode-selecting means to the other of its two positions and thereby selection of said other mode of operation for said bale-receiving means.
 10. In a bale wagon having means for accumulating tiers of bales into a stack and means for accumulating bales into a tier and being movable for delivering said tier to said tier-accumulating means, the improvement which comprises: means for receiving at least one bale on a first of its sides and being operable in either one of two modes for delivering said bale on said first of its sides, or a second of its sides adjacent to said first side, to said bale-accumulating means; and means for selecting one of said two modes of operation for said bale-receiving means, in response to movement by said bale-accumulating means, for delivery of a next bale on one of said first and second sides thereof to said bale-accumulating means.
 11. In a bale wagon having means for accumulating tiers of bales into a stack and being movable for unloading said stack from said wagon and means for accumulating bales into a tier and adding said tier to said tier-accumulating means, the improvement which comprises: means for receiving at least one bale on a first of its sides and being operable in either one of two modes for delivering said bale on said first of its sides, or a second of its sides adjacent to said first side, to said bale-accumulating means; means for selecting one of said two modes of operation for said bale-receiving means, in response to movement by said tier-accumulating means, for delivery of a next bale on one of said first and second sides thereof to said bale-accumulating means.
 12. In a bale wagon having means for accumulating tiers of bales into a stack and means for accummulating a predetermined number of bales into a tier and adding said tier to said tier-accumulating means, the improvement which comprises: means for receiving at least one bale on a first of its sides and being operable in either one of two modes for delivering said bale on said first of its sides, or a second of its sides adjacent to said first side, to said bale-accumulating means; means for seleecting one of said two modes of operation for said baLe-receiving means, in response to addition of said tier to said tier-accumulating means by said bale-accumulating means, for delivery of a next bale on one of said first and second sides thereof to said bale-accumulating means. 